JEONG takes gold a week after Tokyo silver

The World Judo Tour 2013 concluded with the second and final day of the Judo Grand Prix, Jeju 2013, at the Jeju Halla Sports Complex on Friday.

Seven weight categories took to the tatami in search of Grand Prix honours as the women’s -70kg, -78kg and +78kg categories and men’s -81kg, -90kg, -100kg and +100kg categories were all in action.

Olympic champion KIM Jae-Bum (KOR) was the judoka every fan wanted to see after his London 2012 heroics where he overcome injury to win gold. The Asian superstar, who has been part of Korea’s coaching team this year, had the perfect stage to make his competitive return to action with his country hosting the inaugural edition of the Jeju Grand Prix.

Former Olympic champions Ilias ILIADIS (GRE) and NAIDAN Tuvshinbayar (MGL) were also in action in Korea as high calibre judoka were attracted to the event after a demanding year. The Korean crowd saw 185 judoka compete from 30 countries in a highly-encouraging start for the new competition.

Hosts Korea, who entered the maximum of 56 judoka, finished top of the medal table with 22 medals including eight gold ahead of Japan and Mongolia.

The best female award went to Christa DEGUCHI (JPN) who won -57kg gold on Thursday and the best male award went to Serhiy DREBOT (UKR) who won the men’s -73kg prize yesterday.

After the competition was concluded the delegates joined the athletes and everyone involved in making the event a reality at the Jeju Grand Hotel for the farewell dinner

NAM Jong-Hyun, Korean Judo Association President, said: “We are very grateful and thankful for the success of the competition. We also give a big thank you to Mr. Marius VIZER, IJF President and Vladimiar BARTA, IJF Head Sports Director, Mohamed MERIDJA, IJF Education and Coaching Director, Obaid AL-ANZI and Mr. KIM.

“Thank you to the all athletes for taking part. We hope everyone has had a wonderful time in Jeju and look forward to seeing you next year.”

Marius VIZER, IJF President, said: “On behalf of the International Judo Federation I want to congratulate all the participants of the first Judo Grand Prix in Jeju. As it is the end of the year I want to wish you all a happy Christmas and good New Year. Together we will start to develop the sport of judo even more strongly in 2014 and you are all part of that process. I now have the pleasure to present the IJF Gold Plaquette to NAM who I thank along with all the staff members of the Korean Judo Association.”

Obaid AL-ANZI, President of the Judo Union of Asia, said: “I am proud to be here in the Asian continent for a new Grand Prix event. I congratulate everyone who won a medal and wish good luck to all of those athletes who didn’t have that chance today.”

WOMEN

-70kg: All hail home judoka HWANG

FISU Universiade winner HWANG Ye-Sul (KOR) defeated Kodokan Cup bronze medllist UENO Tomoe (JPN) to win gold in a nail-biting -70kg final. In an uneventful final UENO received a shido for passivity before HWANG was penalised for the same indiscretion. UENO received a further shido for passivity which proved the difference at the end of the contest.

UENO booked her place in the final with a win over World Championships bronze medallist KIM Seongyeon (KOR) who won bronze at the Tokyo Grand Slam last week. Despite being in control with a waza-ari score it was the lethargic effort of her opponent which settled the contest as home judoka HWANG received four shido penalties to lose by hansoku-make. In the second semi-final HWANG Ye-Sul (KOR) ruled against Sally CONWAY (GBR) who finished seventh in Japan last week. The contest was decided in the same manner as the first semi-final as CONWAY infringed on four occasions to receive hansoku-make and drop into the repechage.

The first bronze medal was won by losing semi-finalist CONWAY who fought back to win a place on the podium against Malaga European Cup bronze medallist Maria BERNABEU (ESP). The Spanish judoka received judo shido penalties for passivity and, after a shido for CONWAY for a false attack, BERNABEU received a direct hansoku-make for a leg grab on the edge of the tatami. The second bronze medal was clinched by home fighter KIM who toppled Malaga European Cup silver medallist Maria Del Mar PAREDES (ESP). Spain suffered their second successive defeat as PAREDES received two shido penalties for passivity and was then thrown for ippon with a sode-tsurikomi-goshi.

Tokyo Grand Slam silver medallist JEONG Gyeong-Mi (KOR) won the top prize in the -78kg category as she beat Victoriia TURKS (UKR) who finished at the World Judo Masters in May. In an open contest, JEONG went in front with a yuko from a drop seoi-nage before TURKS received a shido for not taking a grip. JEONG had to battle to maintain her composure and control of the contest as she received back-to-back shido penalties for not taking a grip. The home fighter sealed the win with an ippon seoi-nage to score a second yuko and double her advantage. There was no way back for TURKS despite a flurry of attacks in the closing seconds.

JEONG booked her place in the gold medal contest with a hard-fought win against Rome European Open winner Annika HEISE (GER). JEONG broke the deadlock with a yuko score after both judoka received a shido for not taking a grip. HEISE, who started the contest with a shido for passivity, continued to infringe and received two further shido penalties for hansoku-make. In the second semi-final TURKS bested former South East Asian Championships winner CHOI Mi-Young (KOR). TURKS showed her ability after earning two shido penalties as she scored a waza-ari and there no was comeback from the home judoka.

The first bronze medal was won by CHOI as her teammate was inactive and unwilling to change her style as he accumulated four including two for passivity and two for false attack to receive hansoku-make. The second bronze medal went to former Qingdao Grand Prix bronze medallist HEISE who defeated two-time Abu Dhabi Grand Prix silver medallist Natalie POWELL (GBR) in 13 seconds by ippon.

Paris Grand Slam bronze medallist KIM Eunkyeong (KOR) prevailed against World Championships bronze medallist and top seed LEE Jung Eun (KOR) in the +78kg final on Friday. The contest illustrated how well the judoka knew each other’s strengths as they were cautious and reluctant to attack. This inactivity resulted in two shido penalties for LEE for passivity either side of a shido for KIM for the same offence. There was time for LEE to receive one more shido and that ensured KIM would emerge victorious.

LEE earned a place in the final by defeating Kodokan Cup silver medallist ICHIHASHI Suzuka (JPN). The contest was not a low-key affair as neither judoka ever looke close to scoring. ICHIHASHI received a shido for passivity and a second and third for false attacks which settled the contest after the five minutes elapsed. In the second semi-final KIM ensured that she would compete for the gold medal by sending Carolin WEISS (GER) – the only European judoka in the women’s heavyweight category – into the repechage with an ouchi-gari earning ippon with 51 seconds left.

The first bronze medal was clinched by former Cadet World Championships silver medallist LEE Eun-Ju (KOR) who bested 20-year-old WEISS. The German youngster was penalised with a shido for passivity before LEE infringed with a false attack. WEISS took the lead with a yuko before being countered for waza-ari when the Korean pushed her opponent over with power. WEISS attacked with a tani-otoshi but failed to score as LEE received a warm ovation from the crowd.

The second bronze medal was won by ICHIHASHI who recovered from her semi-final loss to power past former Junior World Championships bronze medallist JO Ara (KOR). The home judoka was penalised with a shido for passivity after 90 seconds and a second a minute later. With one minute remaining the Japanese fighter trapped JO to the tatami with a mune-gatame for ippon.

Olympic champion KIM Jae-Bum (KOR) won gold on his return to action as he defeated compatriot and former East Asian Games silver medallist JUNG Won Jun (KOR) in the -81kg final. KIM was not at his mercurial best but still possessed his breathtaking speed which helped him outlast his teammate on shido penalties. JUNG received a shido for passivity and a second for the same offence while KIM was penalised with a shido for a false attack but poster boy of Korean Judo will be content with a winning return.

JUNG guaranteed a spot in the final by defeating Junior World Championships winner Alexios NTANATSIDIS (GRE) in the first semi-final. NTANATSIDIS, who is part of a new generation of Greek judoka who shone at the Junior World Championships, was cheered on by Ilias ILADIS who had just booked his place in the -90kg final. The 20-year-old was exposed by the home fighter JUNG who force the action which led to NTANATSIDIS receiving shido penalties for not taking a grip and three for passivity for hansoku-make. In the second semi-final and the final contest of the first session, KIM outlasted former East Asian Games winner and training partner LEE Seungsu (KOR). KIM was calculated in attack and despite failing to break his opponents rugged resistance, LEE conceded two shido for passivity, one for not taking a grip and finally one for a false attack.

KIM trailed against Boras European Cup winner Robin PACEK (SWE) by a waza-ari in their quarter-final until the final 20 seconds when the Swedish judoka received his fourth shido for hansoku-make. The first bronze medal and first medal of the day was captured by losing semi-finalist LEE who recovered to emphatically defeat former World Championships silver medallist Srdjan MRVALJEVIC (MNE) by ippon after 90 seconds. The second bronze medal was claimed by Robin PACEK who denied NTANATSIDIS his first senior World Judo Tour medal. After a shido for passivity during a tentative opening, PACEK secured the final place on the podium with an explosive sasae-tsurikomi-ashi for ippon.

World Championships bronze medallist Ilias ILIADIS (GRE) and youngster GWAK Dong Han (KOR), who took silver in Jeju last year when the event had World Cup status, cancelled each other out for five minutes as they were both penalised with three shido penalties. In golden score, ILIADIS was undone by GWAK to the approval of the vocal crowd who saw him with him an uchi-mata after 74 seconds after additional time.

ILIADIS booked his place in the final by defeating former European u23 Championships bronze medallist Joakim DVARBY (SWE) who the Greek judoka defeated to win his world bronze medal this year. DVARBY strugged to life with the dynamic Greek and accumulated three shido for passivity but they were deemed irrelevant when ILIADIS scored a waza-ari with 90 seconds left. In the second semi-final GWAK held off former Junior World Championships gold medallist Quedjau NHABALI (UKR) to reach his first World Judo Tour final and guarantee the first Grand Prix medal of his career. GWAK went in front with a yuko score and added a second from a drop seoi-nage which proved the difference.

The first bronze medal was destined for Ukraine for the question which was judoka would wear it. Former Dusseldorf Grand Prix bronze medallist Vadym SYNYAVSKY (UKR) and NHABALI met to decide and the latter had the better of his opponent but only because of his four indiscretions which earned him hansoku-make after a disappointing contest. The second bronze medal was won by Japanese young gun SUGAHARA Takeshi (JPN) who bested DVARBY. Both judoka went off the tatami from an ouchi-gari attempt before the former denied the Swede by scoring a yuko to edge the contest in his favour.

Tokyo Grand Slam bronze medallist and Beijing Olympic champion NAIDAN Tuvshinbayar (MGL) topped the -100kg medal podium after inflicting a defeat on Tallinn European Open winner Artem BLOSHENKO (UKR) in their final. BLOSHENKO was given a shido for passivity and failed to change his game plan as he received a second for passivity before the Mongolian was penalised for a false attack. With no scores registered during the contest, NAIDAN won the gold medal on shido penalties.

BLOSHENKO secured a place in the gold medal contest by conquering former Junior World Championships silver medallist HWANG Min-Ho (KOR). BLOSHENKO was alert to his rivals’ incoming uchi-mata attempt and was never threatened as he scored two waza-ari for wazari-awasette-ippon. In the second semi-final NAIDAN defeated Junior World Championships winner Kyle REYES (CAN) who memorably won bronze at the Tokyo Grand Slam a week ago. The experience of the Mongolian veteran was the decisive factor as he quickly trapped the Canadian with a hold down as he adjusted from mune-gatme to kami-shiho-gatame for ippon.

The first bronze medal was won by Abu Dhabi Grand Prix silver medallist Martin PACEK (SWE) who had a significant height advantage against his opponent REYES. Both judoka were penalised with a shido for not gripping before REYES was penalised for passivity and that was the difference after five minutes.The second bronze medal went to Tashkent Grand Prix bronze medallist Dmytro LUCHYN (UKR) who humbled Korean hope HWANG. LUCHYN received a shido for a false attack before HWANG opened the scoring with a wza-ari from a yuko-otoshi. The Ukranian responded with a yuko from a sasae-tsurikomi-ashi and sealed a fine comeback when he scored ippon with a ko-soto-gake.

Tokyo Grand Slam winner KIM Sung-Min (KOR) reiterated his status as Korean’s number one heavyweight by defeating Ulaanbaatar Grand Prix winner KIM Soo-Whan (KOR) in the +100kg final. KIM Soo-Whan lacked any real impetus as he was first penalised with a shido for passivity after 70 seconds. The underdog received a second for passivity moments later and after three minutes both judoka were penalised for passivity. KIM Soo-Whan received a fourth and final shido for passivity to hand the gold medal to his teammate.

In the first semi-final KIM Sung-Min defeated former Moscow Grand Slam bronze medallist Stanislav BONDARENKO (UKR) after the later received four shido for hansoku-make.In the second semi-final KIM Soo-Whan had the measure of Junior World Championships silver medallist ULZIIBAYAR Duurenbayar (MGL) who he defeated by ippon after leading with a wza-ari.

The first bronze medal was won by Russian National Cup silver medallist Roman BOBIKOV (RUS) who conquered ULZIIBAYAR after 28 seconds by ippon from a rapid piece of ashi-waza. The second bronze medal was clinched by BONDARENKO who overcome little-known KANG Jinsu (KOR). The home fighter received a shido for passivity after one minute and infringed three more times for the same offence to gift high-flying Ukraine another medal.